How to Roll Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls – Photo Tutorial & Recipes

Since writing my first Fresh Spring Roll tutorial back in 2008, I’ve received many more questions about how to roll and store spring rolls successfully. So I’ve been meaning to update my tutorial with better photos and more precise instructions. Voila, four years later, I’ve finally made it happen!

Eating fresh Vietnamese spring rolls (summer rolls) is a favorite dish that I grew up with and one dish that I absolutely love sharing with my friends. Todd and I have frequent spring roll parties where we grill fresh meats and vegetables, roll spring rolls and stuff ourselves for hours. Once everyone understands how to use rice paper and roll correctly, it’s an easy skill that everyone takes back home to their kitchen to share with their family and friends.

Here is my tutorial on how to roll fresh rice paper spring rolls. Everyone has a different method, I understand this, so always be open to learning different ways to roll spring rolls. This is just how Todd and I have taught our Spring Roll cooking classes over the last four years with successful results from our students.

Gather your ingredients: (you can use many ingredients, this is just a basic example of rolling a vegetarian spring roll)

Mis-en-place is very important for spring rolling success. Have all your ingredients, washed and prepped before rolling.

Left photo:An important element of a great spring rolls is having a “crunch” or firm structure in the center. Some ingredients that give great “crunch” and firm structure are : carrots, celery, jicama, cucumbers, bean sprouts. Right photo: Fresh lettuce and herbs provide the fresh bite. In my humble opinion, fresh herbs are mandatory for fresh Vietnamese spring rolls: any type of mint, basil, cilantro or your favorite selection of Vietnamese Herbs.

Noodles: Some rice paper spring rolls will have rice noodles or cellophane glass noodles. Traditional Vietnamese shrimp and pork spring rolls that you will find at Vietnamese restaurants will have noodles. Cook noodles to package instructions.

The noodles are nice fillers and add body to the spring rolls. Normally I don’t add noodles to my daily spring rolls because it makes the spring rolls more filling and I enjoy eating my spring rolls filled with extra vegetables.

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Working with Rice Paper Wrappers-Spring roll rice paper wrappers are available in various sizes and thickness. Sizes range tremendously, so spring rolls can be small bite sized rolls to larger, longer rolls. Select the size that works best for you. Though rice paper thickness will vary as well, the difference isn’t very significant. You just have to dip the rice paper in the water long enough to slightly soften it.

Dip the Rice Paper in warm water.Rice paper is delicate and only needs a quick dip in warm water to soften. Do not “soak” the rice paper for too long because it will break down too quickly, making the rolling more difficult to roll.

Start with a large bowl of warm water, about bath water temperature. Rotate the rice paper in the bowl of water or quickly immerse it in the bowl for about 2 seconds.

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The rice paper should come out of the water still slightly firm and not fully folding on itself. Don’t worry if the rice paper might feel a little firm because once the rice paper lays on the rolling surface, it will continue to absorb the water on its surface and will become soft and GELATINOUS. Lay wet rice paper on rolling surface. Just a note: some wood surfaces are very porous and will cause the rice paper to stick terribly. If this is the case with your wood board, try using a plastic cutting board or large ceramic plate.

Update:We’ve recently bought and love using these water dipping vessels for the rice paper because they take up much less room on the table, especially when you have lots of rollers and need multiple water dipping vessels.

Note: We buy the 11″ dippers because it’s big enough to fit various sizes of spring roll wrappers.

Again, mise-en-place organization is very important. Lay down slightly firm rice paper on your rolling board and start assembling ingredients. During the time that you’ve assembled ingredients, the rice paper will become soft and gelatinous.

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Starting at top 1/3 of rice paperclosest to you, lay lettuce first. I suggest this because this will avoid any sharp fillings to tear the soft rice paper. Make sure to lay the rice paper at the top 1/3 so that you have plenty of surface area left to roll. The more rotations of rice paper you have, the stronger the rice paper will be and less likely to puncture. Do not over-stuff your roll, start small then continue to add more fillings that works with your size rice paper.

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“Tuck and Roll”– This is a term we teach in our spring rolls classes. You want to have a firm roll.

Gently pull away the edge of wrapper from work surface and roll over the filling. At the same time, use your forefingers to gather and “tuck” fillings together under the wrapper. “Tucking” allows you to keep all filings together and tight, so that the roll remains firm and straight.

Slowly start to roll away from you and “tuck” in your filling toward you to keep the roll tight. ** Notice my fingers and how I use them to keep the fillings together and tight.

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Roll about one rotation, then fold in the sides for “closed end” spring rolls. Continue to roll until rice paper ends, but remember to “tucking” ingredients together with your fingers.

** I will have a tutorial for rolling “open end” spring rolls later.

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Here’s a Few of our Favorite Spring Roll Ingredients and Tools:

It can sometimes be hard to find good spring roll ingredients and tools. Here’s some of the favorites:

Rice Paper Wrapper Water Bowl – The perfect bowl for dipping the rice paper at the table. These have been life changers when it comes to our spring roll parties. Easy for everyone to dip and takes up so much less table space.

OXO Julienne Tool – This little tool makes julienning the carrots and other ingredients a breeze.

Koon Chun Hoisin Sauce – Our house favorite hoisin sauce. Great flavor. We use it to make a dipping sauce for spring rolls.

Serving and storing-Eating these fresh as you roll them is best. The rice paper is soft and pliable and the spring roll is plump.

To store them, you can wrap them in plastic cling wrap for about 1-2 hours in a cool area before serving. But if you have perishable proteins like seafood and other meats, then you must store them in the fridge. The rice paper will get hard and possibly crack if you store the in the fridge for more than about 5 hours.

*** Note that storing the spring rolls stacked or side-by-side may cause spring rolls to stick and tear when separated. What I will do is to layer each row of spring rolls with plastic cling wrap so that the spring rolls are not touching.

*** For a few spring rolls for lunch, I will wrap each spring roll individually so that they remain fresh and won’t stick.

If you have any further questions, just ask below! But please read my tutorial first to make sure I haven’t answered it yet.

Have fun spring rolling!

-diane

Now put all all your practice on this collection of Spring Roll recipes . Enjoy, happy eating and rolling!

Hi Cathy, we’ll use plastic wrap and lay them between the rolls so that they don’t stick together. If there’s only a few rolls, we’ll wrap each individually. But if it’s a potluck and you have a big platter, just lay the plastic wrap over it’s layer and you’ll be good to go!

Hi!I love your tutorial on the spring/summer rolls! It was FANTASTIC!!! I want to make these a day ahead so I can bring them to a family gathering!!! How do I store them so they will stay fresh and not break and dry out?How long can they be refrigerated before they spoil? My family lives 2hrs. away, I hope I can share your recipe with them!!!☺️

Awesome tutorial! I wish I would have seen this yesterday, lol! I made spring rolls for five days of lunches and am now worried they’ll be a gelatinous mess by the time I get home this evening! Oh well! Such is life.

This tutorial is so awesome, you would have laughed to see the gigantic salad I was trying to bundle up into the delicate rice paper wraps. The photos really help and I’m ordering a dipping vessel too. I love making them with green shiso leaf and shrimp. Thanks so much

Just a tip for any newbie wrappers out there… I discovered that after continuously accidentally ripping the paper, or having it fall apart while eating (especially if you eat them the next day and the rice paper get even softer), you can double the sheet! I use two rise paper sheets stacked on top of each other and it makes for a much firmer wrap that is easily transportable to work/school and is a good way to get used to working with rice paper.
Thanks for the recipe!

Awesome guide. Seems very simple and straight forward to understand. I look forward to making springs rolls myself for my English class.
Question: If I wake up 1-2 hours before school starts to make fresh spring rolls, will they still be in good condition by the time I arrive to school? Should I put them in a cooler to keep them cold? Or just in a container?

This is very helpful! I’ve been eyeing spring roll recipes for a few months now, this is just what I needed to get going. Well, I need to go buy the rice paper but I’m much closer now with my newly acquired knowledge – thanks! – Charlie, http://www.lemonbutterlove.com/

Thanks so much for your marvellous tutorial on rice wraps. It’s how I got onto your site. My first attempt earlier today was o.k ish , but now I know where I went wrong. Thank you again for your clear instructions. I look forward to continuing……

LOVE the look on newbie’s face when they first start rolling these. (They soon become believers when the TASTE them! There is nothing fresher than fresh spring rolls! and everyone wants our thai peanut sauce recipe…instant PARTY!

Thank you for the tutorial on rolling…that’s why I came! I love to make these spring rolls and have done so for years. I like to really season the noodles–with sesame oil and soy. a little grated ginger. some sherry and scallions. The seasoned noodles really add a lot. My Russian neighbor really liked them and asked how to make them. I told her, but later, she didn’t fully remember when she made them. She used the shrimp and herbs and noodles, but instead of lettuce, she grated some cabbage and added a few cooked potato pieces. Hers were wonderfully flavorful and crunchy too!

Hi. I’m going to be making these rolls with children (32 of them!) for a cooking lesson. I’m slightly confused – you don’t cook any of the ingredients except the rice noodles if using them? Are the rolls eaten cold then? Thanks

I make these for my husband’s lunch sometimes and I wrap them in wax paper and then you can peel the paper back as you eat it. Sometimes I will also make the wrap and then soak another wrapper and wrap it again. It makes it more chewy but it holds up better if you are making them for lunches. I’ve never tried the plastic wrap. Might give that a shot. I love putting avocado in mine.

A good purchase that helps this process if often found next to the rice paper – a stack of 10 perforated plastic plates on which you lay the rice paper after wetting it. The many small holes in the plate keep the paper from sticking until you need them. I used to soak 10 papers, then roll them on a cutting board, but lately I’ve just started rolling them straight off those plates.

I often make salad rolls for my wife’s lunch as they are one of her favorites and a very healthy choice. After many failed shipping attempts in which the rolls stuck to each other, the container or plastic wrap/wax paper, I discovered an easy way. VERY sparingly oil the container with peanut oil and as you pack in the rolls turn them just enough so they get a bit of oil an their sides so they don’t stick together. No change to the taste and if you are sparing, no overly oily-ness either.

You have no idea how helpful this is! I planted Thai basil this year and am determined to use it in homemade rolls like this. I just bought the papers & the noodles, I really have all the fillings – now just need to do it 🙂
Wonderful tutorial!! Can’t wait to see you both in a couple weeks!

Question: After too many spring rolls falling apart half way through lunch, I did an online search and found this tutorial. After some adjustments, I am still having the same problem.
I like to marinate the cucumbers in lemon before I use them in the spring rolls. Do you think the acid could be causing them to tear?
Or could it be that I have them stored in the fridge for too long (5 hours)? I tend to make them in the morning before I go to work.

Hi Mini- It could be a combination of both. Moisture in the fillings will break the wrappers apart. Also, over an extended period of time the wrappers will break down and tear too. When I make these for lunch and eat them a few hours later, I will have a few that tear on me. To prevent that, I try not to wrap them too tight because as the wrappers dry, they tear. And I make sure to have softer fillings that don’t always poke through the wrapper.

Todd and Diane, just wanted to let you know that since you posted this long ago, I eat spring rolls a few times a month, and my husband and I LOVE them. I always loved ordering them at the restaurant but never thought to make them at home until you showed everyone how easy they are to make. Now I can’t get enough of them! I make them with a tasty coconut peanut dipping sauce, and they are fantastic. Thanks guys, and see you at FBF again this year! Can’t wait =)

Thank you so much for the clear and DETAILED explanation with pictures. After reading this post I – after months of waiting – was motivated enough try making Vietnamese spring roles myself. The result – prefect, healthy and tightly rolled spring rolls. I have one question left, what is your dipping sauce? I can see red chilli and ginger but what else?

Hi Tom,
So glad the tutorials helped! The sauce in the picture is the classic Vietnamese fish sauce, nuoc cham. It is a combination of fish sauce, chilies, garlic, lime, and sugar. Sometimes we’ll make a version with a bit of ginger in there as well. Here’s a link to get an idea of ratios.

Gorgeous pictures, and such wonderful detail about how to roll these li’l suckers! I’ve done them once but didn’t quite make it work due to the stickiness of the rice paper. Now I’ve got some good advice to follow next time (which might be tomorrow since I don’t have to go to work). My hubby is gonna be SO happy at dinner time!! Thanks so much for your beautiful photos and descriptions!

You did make an amazing rolls and photos. Actually we always have boiled shrimp and boiled sliced pork along with these green ^^ (do not forget to add a little salt when boiling them)
Sometimes, we don’t dip the rice paper into water, spray instead to control the water better ^^ Cheeerzzzz

I was inspired to make spring rolls to take on a flight to Hawaii. Airport food is awful and we wanted something fresh, nutritious and importantly, one person has celiac disease so many obvious choices were out. I sauteed up some tofu and added lots of veg. One secret was that I made a peanut dipping sauce and drizzled some of that inside the lettuce before adding the remaining fillings. Wrapped them in moist paper towels and then into ziplock bags. They were a huge hit! I’d say they travelled pretty well as I made them the day before. There was only a little sticking. Next time, I’ll try the plastic wrap THEN moist paper towels as others suggested.

Oh — this is great! I buy these fresh spring rolls way too often — couple times a week, and what a pleasure it will be to be able to make them! Thank you! Also for the pickle recipe that follows. Love that too, so much. Any chance on a dipping sauce?..

Mary- the links with spring roll recipes I have in the post also have dipping sauces in them. Many of these sauces are versatile, so you can pair them with different fillings. As I add new recipes, I’ll be rounding them up on this page. Thank you and enjoy!

I love these spring rolls ever since I was introduced to them back in 2001.

A tip for storing that works for me as I am always greedy about these and make way more than I can consume as a meal. Immediately upon making the rolls, and wrapping them them individually in plastic wrap, I then wrap them again (individually) with heavily dampened kitchen towels such as Bounty, place into a tight-lid plastic container and refrigerate overnight.

I make these a lot for catering lunch events and thought someone might like this tip for storing or transporting: I line a sheet pan with damp paper towels, cover that in plastic wrap. Then, I place the rolls (not touching) on the sheet pan, cover them with plastic wrap and top that with damp paper towels. These will keep several hours in the refrigerator without getting brittle. Loved your pictures, as always and a wonderful tutorial. 😀

Too funny! I did these for my bday party this weekend along with Truffle Popcorn, Sesame Noodle Boxes served in little Chinese Takeout Containers, and Goat Cheese Crostini. These are indeed delicious…thanks for the photo tour…fun to see!

Mmm! I love spring rolls, both fresh and deep fried! This is such a beautiful tutorial 🙂 If I make too many, I also keep them fresh in the fridge by keeping them in an airtight container and laying wet paper towel on top, works like a charm 🙂

Thank you for this! I ordered DIY spring rolls in a Vietnamese restaurant in France last year, but got no real instruction on how to construct them! The were really tasty, but extremely messy, and although I brought some of the wrappers back to the UK (as Vietnamese food stuffs are hard to find here) I hadn’t plucked up the courage to try them yet. I might just give them a go now :o)

Thank you!! This is so helpful. I always have the sticking problem with my spring rolls. Do you ever make them using nori as well? Would love to experiment making quinoa spring rolls and nori and rice paper. Haven’t done it successfully yet, but this tutorial is definitely helpful 🙂

Hi Alyssa- Using cling wrap to separate the layers or stacks of spring rolls will make a huge difference for you!
Nori is unique on it’s own and I wouldn’t ever combine the two: rice paper and nori. Nori has it’s own, different texture and so does rice paper. So I would rather appreciate each wrapper on it’s own.
One would be a Japanese inspired hand roll and the other a Vietnamese inspired spring roll!

The first time I made spring rolls was actually at your studio last fall! Such wonderful memories. We’ve had them so many times since then. Such an amazing combination of fresh, cool crunch. And it really fancies-up boring leftovers!

I love making spring rolls at home and after you get the hang of it, i.e. overstuff a few and tear them and have rolling issues and the wrapper wrinkles all over itself, it gets finally gets easier 🙂 Great tutorial and rolls & I’m craving one now!